Spain, the first supplier of meat and processed pork to the Philippines

Spain, the first supplier of meat and 

processed pork to the Philippines

The Philippine pork market, to which Spain began to export just over eight years ago, has become a growing destination for Spanish exports in recent years. In 2021 alone, sales reached 256.2 million euros and 157,797 tons, which meant doubling the exports of 2020, the year in which Spain became the first supplier of meat and processed pork to the Philippines, surpassing as well as the main traditional suppliers such as the USA, Canada, France and the Netherlands.

Spanish exports represent 27.03% of the total pork imported by the Philippines and pork is the most consumed meat among the Philippine population.

The fact that Spain has positioned itself as the first largest exporter to the Philippines is due, among other reasons, to the fact that the country's importers and distributors have placed their trust in the Spanish pig sector thanks to the fact that they identify the Spanish pig sector with its strong commitment with quality, food safety, animal welfare and care for the environment. All of them, key aspects to reach this market, which increasingly demands more added value in food products.

Along with this intense work of the sector, the Interprofessional Agri- food Organization for White Pork of Spain (INTERPORC), which is a national organization made up of associations involved in the production, processing and marketing of whiten pigs, has precisely among its objectives to promote the image of the pork sector both inside and outside the Spanish borders.

In this sense, during the last few years the Spanish Interprofessional has been carrying out different activities on the Asian continent- presence at fairs, meetings with importers, conferences, etc.- to promote the Spanish Pork meat 

and pork products.

A clear example of this is INTERPORC’s recent presence at WOFEX, the main international food fair in the Philippines. INTERPORC has participated in this exhibition with a pavilion of 90 square meters, with an individual area for each of 

the seven participating Spanish companies and an institutional area, in addition to an area set up for daily showcookings, by the prestigious Spanish chef Javier Martín , or exhibitions of professional cutting of ham by the champion of the 

INTERPORC SPAIN 2021International Ham Carving Competition, José 

Sabiote González.

In turn, INTERPORC continues to intensify trade relations between the two countries. In the case of the pig sector, both institutional and business relations with Philippine authorities and companies are excellent.

The Spanish pig sector industry works every day to bring healthy, safe and quality food to citizens. Its greatest commitment is to feed consumers in a healthy way in the more than 130 countries where Spanish pork and its products are present. Among them, the Philippines stands out. Spanish 

products that arrive to the Philippines are the result of the most demanding production model in the world in terms of quality, food safety and respect for the environment.

Today there is no other country in the world with such strict regulations to 

protect consumers and the environment, which is why the Spanish white pork sector is today a world benchmark in sustainability, quality and food safety.

Spain is the third world producer of pork with an annual production of 5.19 million tons and a turnover of 18,500 million euros. Its primary sector is made up of more than 60,000 farms and after that first link appears a large processing industry made up of more than 2,630 companies. It is a modern, competitive and highly professional industry that applies the latest technologies to guarantee the production of top quality meat and meat products.

This strategy has turned the pig sector into an essential engine of the Spanish economy, where it generates more than 423,425 jobs between direct employment (154,925 workers), indirect employment (172,750) and induced employment (99,750).

Regarding female employment, 65,000 women work in the sector, which represents 42% of direct employment. Of these, 31,450 are integrated into primary production companies (48.4%); 2,620 work in cooperatives and pork integrating companies (4%); and finally another 30,926 carry out their activity in meat industries (47.5%).

The relevance of these figures is greater in the so-called emptied Spain, where its great presence allows to set population and to generate wealth. Not surprisingly, 43% of pig farms and 45% of industries are located in rural 

municipalities (<5,000 inhabitants). Specifically, 35% of employment in pork processing industries (21,000 jobs) is generated in rural municipalities.

The data give a very approximate idea of what pork means for the Spanish economy, its power and its strong position in the international ranking.Focusing on the European Union, the Spanish pork sector occupies the first position in production, census and exports of meat and processed meat. If we 

expand to the rest of the world, the Spanish pig sector is the second in exports, the third in production and the fourth in census.

It is clear that Spanish companies have solidified their positions abroad and in such demanding markets as the Korean, Japanese or Philippine markets, they have grown in the last year, respectively, by 123.5%, 28.7% and 107.6%. One more proof of the quality and confidence that the Spanish pork industry generates worldwide, which is gradually increasing its volumes, also in smaller markets